Family Picture
by TheRealMaraJade
Summary: Set after Superman Returns, it's a sort of alternate ending it was written BEFORE Superman Returns came out, and I extrapolated on what I thought would happen.


**I haven't written any fic in YEARS - quite literally. Just look at my unfinished Harry Potter fics! hides But all this excitement - and, in my case, worry - about _Superman Returns_ gave me a plot bunny I couldn't resist. **

**Written BEFORE the movie premiere. Betaed by LouiseMcGregor. Posted here after a suggestion by **htbthomas**. And you all should read her fic **Déjà Vu **It's GREAT! And much better than mine! ;)**

**FIC:** Family Picture

**FANDOM:** Superman

**DISCLAIMER:** Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and is the property of DC Comics and Warner Bros. I do not wish to hurt any copyright, I just wish to have some fun with their characters. I'm making no money out of this.

**TIMELINE:** After the new _Superman Returns_ movie. I wrote this BEFORE I watched the movie, so, I extrapolated on what could happen on the movie – or rather, on what I thought would happen.

**SHIP:** Clark/Lois

**SINOPSIS:** Oh, just read or I will spoil the ending for you!

**AUTHOR:** TheRealMaraJade

**DISTRIBUTION: **You may link to it here, but you may NOT post elsewhere without my permission! To ask my permission, PM me!

**FEEDBACK: **is appreciated! Thanks!

**FAMILY PICTURE**

He was tired. He had saved the world, yet again. He had succeeded against Luthor one more time. But he felt like a failed man, even with all his superpowers. "Yes, Superman is a joke," thought Clark dryly to himself, as he arrived home, took his dirty costume off and entered a hot bath.

Six years previously, despite a loving adoptive mother, he had gone back to Krypton - being the last son of Krypton, he felt alone – in some naïve belief that he would find another survivor and, by doing so, he would have help in truly finding and understanding himself and his nature.

Because of that absence, he had lost the woman he loved. Truth be told, he had chosen to stay away from her, not only because he was afraid harm would come her way if they were together, but also because he couldn't deny his superpowers to be with the woman he loved. His notion of duty had been stronger than his love for Lois. Or so he had thought. Until he had come back and saw her with another man, and with a son from him. Duty had all but fled his mind, only to be replaced by a feeling Clark had never felt before, and which he thought was unfitting for him: jealousy.

He hadn't done anything to try and win Lois back – Clark himself had never stood a chance with Lois, and Superman...well, Superman's powers had no problem in winning Lois' heart – or any other girl's heart, for that matter. However, deep down inside Clark wanted Lois to love him, not Superman. He put duty once again as his first priority, and buried – or tried to – his love for Lois deep down. He hadn't allowed himself to feel jealous about Lois. She was not only committed with someone else, but they also had a child, and Clark couldn't bring himself to split someone's family, to make a son and father part ways – like he had been parted from his father.

Superman couldn't disrupt a family. Clark gave an uncharacteristic snort, put on his boxers, and fell on bed. He didn't want to think about Lois anymore, not in the way he wanted to, because it was wrong. She was getting married, after all, on ... "Tomorrow!" Clark said aloud, turning around in his bed. "I almost forgot – her marriage is tomorrow." He tossed around in bed, fellings and thoughts running through his mind, until he finally fell asleep. Sleep was welcomed by his tired body and troubled mind and heart.

The next morning, when he woke up, it seemed he had reached a decision while he had been sleeping.

Clark rang Lois' chime door. Twice. After some minutes, and a commotion inside, she answered it. She had her hair wet, and her clothes in disarray, like she had hastily put then on.

"Clark? What are you doing here? I was just about to go out to leave Jason at my sister's before I pick up my wedding dress and head to the beauty shop." She gave a small, apologetic smile. "With all the comotion of the past few days, today is going to be quite hetic."

"No problem, Lois, I will be quick. Can I come in?"

Lois was taken aback, but quickly recovered - in typical Lois-fashion - and opened the door completely to make room for Clark to enter.

"Where is Jason?" Clark stalled.

Before Lois could answer, Jason came from his room."Hello, Mr. Kent!"

"Oh, hi, Jason! How are you?" Clark knelled before Jason.

"Fine. And you, Mr. Kent?"

Lois interrupted. "Clark, I really do need to get going. What is it?" She said impatiently.

Clark took a small package from his pocket and stood up. "Just wanted to give you your wedding gift," he said, extending the package for Lois.

"You are not going to my wedding?" said Lois, quite incisively – she was mad.

"Mom, look, Mr. Kent brought you a new picture frame!"

Both Lois and Clark stared at Jason. "A picture frame? What are you..." Lois began, but it was Clark's turn to interrupt her. "How do you know it's a picture frame?" He asked, eyeing the dark-covered paper with which he had wrapped the picture frame he bad bought to replace the one that he had shattered the glass.

"I can see it. It's a silver engraved picture frame," he said, perfectly describing the item Clark bad bought, "with a picture of me, mom and..."

"You can see it? Through the paper?" Clark asked, in a disbelieving but hopeful voice.

"Yes." Jason replied, for the first time noticing how weird it was for him to be able to see through anything.

Clark looked at Lois, his eyes beginning to get wet with tears, his heart bursting with happiness and love. There was only one explanation for this. All those years ago, when they had had their special moment in the Fortress of Solitude, which he had erased from her mind...

Lois was staring at her son, her eyes unfocused. Clark could almost see the pieces moving and falling in their right places inside her head. She finally looked up and her eyes focused on him. Did she remember...?

She walked towards Clark, her face fiercely set. She raised her hand and slapped him on the face.

Well, not exactly. Clark had time to see what was coming and turned his head before Lois could hurt her hand on his face when she tried to slap him, letting her hand simply rest against his face. Before she removed her hand from his cheek, he covered it with his hand. "Lois?"

She was crying. "How could you? You had no right in...," she furrowed her brow, chasing words - for the first time words failed famous reporter Lois Lane - , "erasing it." She looked furiously at him. "No right. I ended up thinking that Richard was..."

"I was trying to protect you." Clark replied.

"Protect _me_?" Lois asked, apparently appalled that he thought she needed protection. "Was that the same reason you left - _us_?"

Clark looked at Jason, who was completely dumbfounded at the adults' conversation. "I didn't know. If I did, I would have never left." He looked at Lois again. "And if you allow me, I will never leave you again."

Lois covered her face with her hands, sobbing. But she allowed Clark to embrace her soothingly. Jason clutched his mother's leg, and Clark smoothed his son's hair.

His _son_.

Whatever he had gone looking for in Krypton, it had been here all along.


End file.
